Club buffet set-up service device



Nov. 17, 1942. J; k c uj 2,3Q2,446

CLUB BUFFET SET-UP SERVICE DEVICE Filed May 23, 194i IN\IIENTORI 513 I Laaua Kmnmn,

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1942 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

The present invention relates to a club buffet set-up device, particularly for use in hotel cafeterias and similar establishments, and has for an object to provide a device of this character for simplifying and speeding up service, in which the necessary set-up for guests may be assembled and carried to the table where the guests are to eat. The term set-up, used in this connection, refers to the various utensils and food items that are supplied to all of the customers of an eating establishment, irrespective of the particular selection of food made by such customers, and usually consists of a plate containing bread and butter, an empty cup and saucer, a napkin, silverware, and a glass of ice water. Inasmuch as the majority of the tables in such eating establishments seat two to four people, and the majority of customers eat in pairs, it is proposed according to the invention to provide a device in which two set-ups may be assembled so that these can be simultaneously placed upon the table by an employee of the establishment, the customers in the meantime selecting their food from a buffet table. This furthermore provides a device of symmetrical form in which the Weight is evenly distributed at each side of the center, thereby facilitating carrying of the device.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a device in which the various articles may be assembled so that they will be retained against accidental displacement as the device is carried to the table by the employee.

Another object is to provide a device in which a supporting part for certain of the articles such as the cups and saucers constitutes a cover for another supporting part for certain other articles, such as butter plates.

It is a further object to provide the handle in such relation to the two set-ups carried by the device that they may be removed from either side of the device without obstruction, thus enabling customers seated at opposite sides of a table to remove their individual set-ups without interference by the other set-up.

It is also proposed to provide a device of this character in which glasses of ice water are carried, and to so dispose these with relation to the handle that they will not be contacted by persons passing the employee, and will be disposed in line with the natural swing of the employees arms, so that the chance of spilling the water is minimized.

It is a further object to provide a device of this character in which the articles may be loaded under controlled sanitary conditions, and

hands of any other person than the guest, the device protecting such articles as they are carried to the table by the employee, who thereupon places the device before the guest to permit the guest'to remove the articles.

It is another object to provide a structure in which certain of the articles, such as the cups and. saucers, will cooperate to retain other article's, such as napkins, in place until they are removed by the guest.

With the above and other objects in view an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a club buffet setup service device, according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the device with the various articles constituting two set-ups assembled therein.

Similar reference characters indicate corre sponding parts throughout the several figures in the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the club buifet setup service device, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated therein, comprises a base'member ID of substantially oval form, having a peripheral downwardly extending flange II and provided with two circular openings I 2--| 2, of a size to receive the base flange of a dish, so as to retain the dish against movement. The spacing of the holes is determined by the diameters of the plates to be supported on the base, being preferably so spaced that the adjacent edges of the plates will be contacting or closely contiguous, but will not overlap. The edges of the plates are also set back from the flanged edg of the base.

In spaced relation above the base Hi there is provided an article supporting shelf member l3, preferably corresponding in its outline to the base I0, and having a peripheral downwardly extending flange Hi, this member being rigidly connected to the base by means of flattened end portions l5-I5 of an arched handle member I6, preferably formed of tubular metal, these fiatthereupon will not come in contact with the tened end Portions eing secured by rivets ll to the members It and I3 and constituting supporting braces or struts between them. These supporting portions I5 are at the extreme ends of the base and shelf members It] and I3, and being flat at their inner surfaces do not obstruct the space between these members, so that the plates supported upon the member H may contact the supporting portions l5i5 to retain the plates against rattling, and at the same time will permit the plates to be freely removed either from the front or rear of the device.

The shelf member i3 is provided in vertically aligned relation with the holes 52 of the member I!) with holes is for receiving the base-flanges of the saucers of the cup and saucer combinations, and inasmuch as these saucers are smaller in diameter than the butter plates the cup and saucer combinations are arranged in direct vertical line above the butter plates. This arrangement provides a central space between the edges of the saucers, and within this space there is provided the supporting standard 59 for the silverware and bread plates, presently more fully described, this supporting standard, being of a width, calculated with respect to the diameter of the saucers, so that the adjacent edges of the latter will engage or be closely contiguous to the sides of the standard, and will thus be held against rattling.

Upon the upper end of .the standard, which is preferably formed of sheet metal, spot-welded, brazed, or otherwise suitably secured at its base to the member i3, there is provided a silverware container preferably U-shaped in cross section and extending the full width of the standard,

and of a width to provide projecting shoulders at each side of the side walls of the standard it. These shoulders provide, in combination with the side walls of the standard, the shelf member i3, and the cup and saucer combinations supported upon the shelf member l3, spaces for receiving folded napkins in such manner that the latter will be retained in place until removed by the customer. The width of the container 23 is sufficient to receive all the necessary silver for two set-ups, this usually being two each of forks, knives, and spoons.

Upon the upper edges of the silverware container 2%, and constituting a top therefor, there is secured by spot-welding, brazing, or other suitable means, a platform member 2i, having a recess 22 formed therein for receiving and retaining the base flange of a bread tray, the platform being in such relation to the handle 53 that the bread contained in the tray will be sufliciently removed from the handle that it will not be contacted by the hand of the person carrying the device.

Upon each of the flat supporting portions l5 there is secured a water glass supporting bracket, preferably consisting of a U-shaped strip member 23 constituting the base and uprights, and a circular band member 2 secured by spot-welding or brazing to the up er end of the uprights to retain the glass. One of the uprights is secured by rivets 25 to the fiat outer surface of the supporting portion l 5. The disposition of the water glass supporting bracket is such that the water glasses are so removed from the other articles that there is no chance of spilling water upon them, and these brackets are provided in line with the vertical longitudinal plane of the handle it, so that while the device is being carried they are in a fore and aft relation with respect to the line of swing, and the chance of spilling water is thereby minimized. Also the brackets ar inwardly offset 75: mg member secured to and constituting a top to from the side edges of the base member l6 and shelf member l3, so that they are thus protected against side swiping by contact with the person carrying the device or by other persons passing him.

As shown in the perspective view in Fig. 4 the device is loaded for two set-ups, being provided with butter plates 2525, cup and saucer combinations 21-21, napkins 28-28, silverwar 29, bread tray 30, and water glasses 3|-3 I. In practice these articles will all be placed upon the setup under controlled sanitary conditions, and thereupon will not be contacted by the hands of any other person than the customer, the device permitting it to be carried by an employee to the table wher the customer is to eat without touching any of the articles. Upon being placed on the table by the employee all of the articles may be readily removed in one or the other directions, that is either from the front or from the back, as seen in Fig. l. Thus after the device is placed upon the center of the table a guest seated on one side of the table can remove his articles in one direction, and a guest seated at the other side of the table can remove his articles in the other direction, without changing the position of the device.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim:

1. A bufiet set-up service device, comprising a base member having dish positioning means therein, an inverted U-shaped arched handle member secured at its ends to opposed points of the periphery of said base member and extending in arched relation above it, a shelf member disposed in spaced parallel relation above said base member and also secured to the end portions of said handle member, said shelf member having dish positioning means therein, a standard sei cured upon said shelf member substantially centrally thereof, and utensil supporting means secured upon said standard and disposed at right angles to the direction of said handle member, said utensil supporting means being open at both ends whereby utensils may be inserted and removed therefrom in either direction, said handle member forming a guard for the ends of said base and shelf members to prevent removal of dishes endwise therefrom and said base and shelf members being unobstructed at both sides whereby dishes supported thereon may be removed sidewise in either direction.

2. A buifet set-up service device, comprising a base member having dish positioning means therein, an inverted U-shaped arched handle member secured at its ends to opposed points of the periphery of said base member and extending in arched relation above it, a shelf member disposed in spaced parallel relation above said base member and also secured to the end portions of said handl member, said shelf member having dish positioning means therein, a standard secured upon said shelf member substantially cenrally thereof, utensil supporting means secured upon said standard and disposed at right angles to the direction of said handle member, said utensil supporting means being open at both ends whereby utensils maybe inserted and removed therefrom in either direction, and a tray supportsaid utensil supporting means, said handle member forming a guard for the ends of said base and shelf members to prevent removal of dishes endwise therefrom and said base and shelf members being unobstructed at both sides whereby dishes supported thereon may be removed sidewise in either direction.

3. A buffet set-up service device, comprising an elongated base member, having a pair of longitudinally spaced dish positioning means therein, an inverted U-shaped arched handle member secured at its ends to opposed points of th periphery of said base member and extending longitudinally in arched relation above it, a shelf member disposed in spaced parallel relation above said base member and also secured to the end portions of said handle member, said shelf having a pair of longitudinally spaced dish positioning means therein, a standard secured upon said shelf member substantially centrally thereof, and utensil supporting means secured upon said standard and disposed at right angles to the direction of said handle member, said utensil supporting means being open at both ends whereby utensils may be inserted and removed therefrom in either direction, said handle member forming a guard for the ends of said base and shelf members to prevent removal of dishes endwise therefrom and said base and shelf members being unobstructed at both sides whereby dishes supported thereon may be removed sidewise in either direction.

4. A buffet set-up service device, comprising a base member having dish positioning means therein, an inverted U-shaped arched handle member secured at its ends to opposed points of the periphery of said base member and extending in arched relation above it, a shelf member disposed in spaced parallel relation above said base member and also secured to the end portions of said handle member, said shelf member having dish positioning means therein, a standard secured upon said shelf member substantially centrally thereof, and utensil supporting means of U-shaped cross-section secured at its base upon said standard disposed at right angles to the direction of said handle member, said base of said utensil supporting means projecting at each side of said standard as shoulder portions to constitute with said standard and said shelf, article positioning means, said utensil supporting means being open at both ends whereby utensils may be inserted and removed therefrom in either direction, said handle member forming a guard for the ends of said base and shelf members to prevent removal of dishes endwise therefrom and said base and shelf members being unobstructed at both sides whereby dishes supported thereon may be removed sidewise in either direction.

5, A buffet set-up service device, comprising a base member, having dish positioning means therein, an inverted U-shaped arched handle member secured at its ends to opposed points of the periphery of said base member and extending in arched relation above it, a shelf member disposed in spaced parallel relation above said base member and also secured to the end portions of said handle member, said shelf member having dish positioning means therein, a standard secured upon said shelf member substantially centrally thereof, utensil supporting means secured upon said standard and disposed at right angles .to the direction of said handle member, said utensil supporting means being open at both ends whereby utensils may be inserted and removed therefrom in either direction, said handle member forming a guard for the ends of said base and shelf members to prevent removal of dishes endwise therefrom and said base and shelf member being unobstructed at both sides whereby dishes supported thereon may be removed sidewise in either direction, and water glass supporting bracket means secured to the outer sides of each of the end portions of said handle means whereby said end portions constitute guards between said water glass supporting bracket means and said base and shelf members.

JAMES LESLIE KINCAID. 

